Improvement in rotary engines



"j UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. THOMAS, OF MANAYUNK, PENNSYLVANIA.

. IMPROVEMENT `IN; ROTARY ENGINES.

h Specification forming part of LettersPatent No. 12,746, dated April 17, 1855.

To LZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOHN J. THOMAS, of Manayunk, in the countyof Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an lmproved Rotary Engine, to beemployedeither in the transmission of the motive power of steam or other iuids or as a puinp; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

' clear, and exact description of the same, referwith the axis. Fig. 2 is a Jtransverse section in the line a; y of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrow 5, shown in that ligure. Fig. 3 is a View of the interior ofthe cylinder, looking in the opposite direction to Fig. 2. Fig. 4. isa face 4View of the disk and piston.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

A is a cylinder, which is or may be cast with one end solid or closed and has its interior divided by an inner cylinder a., which is cast with or secured to it into two chambers h and c.

B is a shaft working through the end of the cylinder and carrying a metal disk O,`wh'ich is turned or otherwise faced to iit up to and work in con tact with two faces f g, the former of which surrounds the open end of the bore of the cylinder A, and the latter is'on the end of the inner cylinder a. v This disk closes the two chambers b and c, except where a corn- I'nunication is established between them through a passage CZ, which consists simply of a recess inthe face of the disk C. rlhe disk C has attached to its face a solid piston D, which is fitted to revolve around the annular chamber b between the cylinders A a, and has also a passage e through it, the passage e being separated from the passage CZ by the piston, close to which both passages are ar- I ranged, as shown in Fig. 2. The annular chamber Z7, which may be considered theworkving-cylinder, is, like some other rotary engines, itted with two slides h h', both of which are shown in Fig. 2 and one of which is represented in red outline in Fig. 1. One of these slides is always in place to form a close partition or abutment within the chamber;

but each is withdrawn in its turn in a direction parallel with the shaft B, to allow the piston D to pass in its revolution. The Withdrawal and return of the sliders h h is effected by a grooved barrel cam E on the shaft B acting upon rods t', which are attached to the sliders and work through stufling-boxesj at the ends of two hollow boxes k, (one of whichis shown in Fig. 1,) which are secured to the cylinder to receive the sliders `as they are withdrawn. The disk C is inclosed within a cap F, which is bolted to the cylinder A, and is deep enough to leave a chamber lml at the back of the disk. The center of this cap receives a sctscrew a, by which the shaft is adjusted to keep the disk O in close contact with the cylinder. The induction or suction pipe Za is represented as connected with the chamber c, and the eduction or discharge pipe Z with the chamber m.

WVhen the engine is employed as a motive agent, the steam or iiuid'passing through the induction-pipe enters the chamber c, as indicated by the black arrows in Fig. l, then passes through the passage CZ into the chamber l), between the back of the piston D and the closed slider or abutment, and gives motion to the piston and the disk in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2. frolnbetween the front of the piston and the abutment through the passage e into the chamber m, which is always in communication with theeduction-pipe. When the engine is employed as a pump, motion is given to the shaft and disk C in the same direction, as before described, by any suitable power, and the water rushes through the pipe h, the chamber c, and passage (Z to iill the vacuum formed in the'chamber Z9 behind the piston,

and is forced out in front of the piston through It exhausts B, provided the piston D is made to enter the chamber b with a slight taper. Any wearof the pistou or between the disk and the faces fg will be compensated for by a little turning' of the set-screW/n.

The engine may be so far modified as to make the disk C and its piston stationary, and to give the rotary motion to the cylinder A, which will be the same in effect as when the cylinder is stationary and the disk rotates, as in either case the disk forms one side of the Working-cylinder or piston-chamber b.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The attachment of a piston D to a disk, which forms one side of the Working-cylinder or piston-chamber and Works in contact with a bearing-face f on the cylinder outside of the piston, and another face g inside of the piston, substantiall-yas herein shown and described.

2. Constructing the engine, substantially as described, with a central chamber c within or surrounded by the Working-cylinderor piston-chamber b and with another chamber m on the opposite side of the disk C, which carries the piston, and establishing communication between lthe chambers b and c by a recess d in the disk on one side of the piston and between the chambers b and m by an opening through the disk on the other side of the piston, either of the said chambers c or m being the induction or suction chamber and the other the eduction or dischargechamber, and the said chambers supplying the cylinder and receiving its discharged contents, as herein set forth.

JOHN J. THOMAS. Witnesses:

ARCHER CLoWEs, JOHN MULDooN. 

